How to Coordinate a Goodwill Find from My Latest Thrift Store Haul

People often tell me that whenever they buy something it looks great in the store but not when they get it home. So what usually happens is they either return it, exchange it for something safer, or give it away. The problem with this response is they’ve already wasted time and money to go out and buy the item, and now they’re going to waste more time on needless frustration and possibly anger. “OK genius so what do I do instead?” they might ask.

First of all, coordinate your new find with at least three things in your closet and come up with at least one to wear immediately once you get your find home. It can be as simple as a white button-down and a blazer with a pair of pants, or a pullover sweater with a skirt or a cardigan with a dress that’s later accessorized with a scarf, necklace, or hat.

While I enjoy coordinating my retail finds this way, I truly revel in it with my secondhand finds because they allow me to use my creativity more. For the brown dog Philosophy cashmere sweater I got for around seven dollars at the Crenshaw Goodwill thrift store. I went semi monochromatic and paired it with a white eyelet button-down (also secondhand) and a corduroy a line Katayone Adeli skirt from the 90s. I have forgotten all about the skirt until I noticed a lot of 90s looks making a comeback. Pulling it out of a wardrobe box and steaming it back to life I created my ensemble. Perfect for my weekend job in retail the outfit was extremely comfortable and Every Day chic.

On Juneteenth, I celebrated with another Goodwill haul from the Crenshaw store, and successfully coordinated a pair of black and red cherry print pants from Forever 21 with a few pieces from my own wardrobe. Starting with the pants, I looked for toppers that would coordinate well with it. At first, I chose a white linen Sigrid Olson, button-down and denim Levi’s button-down, but thought they were too bland for my anticipated work shift in retail that day. so I settled on a red,black, and white striped polo shirt from H&M, a red green, and white floral secondhand cardigan and beige cotton secondhand jacket. To top it off, I added a black and red cherry print, Betsy Johnson scarf from TJ Maxx and a pair of plaid Esprit Keds knockoff sneakers from ThredUp.com.Whimsical and colorful the pants proved to be a fun but they definitely added another chapter to the life story of my top, cardigan and jacket.

So the next time you snag that funky multicolor African men’s tunic because you like the colors don’t discount it. Let it make you reach for the sartorial stars and go a little crazy.